They said the f… Read Full Bio ↴The title track to Ween's magnum-opus "The Mollusk".
They said the following about the track:
"With the song “The Mollusk”…we’d never had a title track. Of all the songs Aaron and I have written together, that’s hands-down my favorite. It was enough to make the title track. If we weren’t actually working or recording, there wasn’t much for us to actually do or anywhere to go.
The only thing to do was walk on the beach and surf-cast. I laid down some chords and took this little module that I plugged into a keyboard that made those really trippy swirling sounds, which were the ones we used on “The Mollusk.” I came back from surf-casting and Aaron played the song with the vocals he had written. It was so fucking great. It was the best song we’d ever done. I couldn’t believe that he had taken what I had done with the music. I had no idea what the song was about! I was surf-casting, I came back in, heard the vocals, and was like, “Holy shit.” If we were on to something before, now it was anchored. We listened to it a thousand times. I was like, “This is the title track.” From then on, we had the keys to the record and how it should be done."
- Deaner, in a 20th anniversary oral history of "The Mollusk" with Stereogum
“We re-recorded that at Claude Coleman’s house. I can’t remember if we overdubbed it a bit to make it sound better.”
- Deaner, in a 20th anniversary oral history of "The Mollusk" with Stereogum
The Mollusk
Ween Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kind sir it's a mollusk I've found
Did you find it in the sandy ground?
Does it emulate the ocean's sound?
Yes I found it on the ground
Emulating the ocean's sound
Bring forth the mollusk cast unto me
Let's be forever let forever be free
Hey little boy come walk with me
And bring your new found mollusk along
Does it speaketh of the trinity
Can it gaze at the sun with its wandering eye
Yes it speaks of the trinity
Casting light at the sun with its wandering eye
Bring forth the mollusk, cast unto me
Let's be forever let forever be free
You see there are three things that spur the mollusk from the sand
The waking of all creatures that live on the land
And with just one faint glance, back into the sea
The mollusk lingers, with it's wandering eye...
The lyrics to Ween's song "The Mollusk" are both peculiar and intriguing. The song starts with a little boy showing a mollusk he found to a kind sir. The kind sir asks the boy if he found the mollusk in the sandy ground and if it mimics the ocean's sound. The boy responds with affirmative answers, saying he found the mollusk on the ground, and it emulates the sound of the ocean. The kind sir then asks the boy to bring the mollusk to him, suggesting that they will be forever free together.
In the second verse, the kind sir asks the little boy to walk with him and bring the mollusk along. He then asks if the mollusk speaks of the trinity and if it can look at the sun with its wandering eye. The boy responds positively, saying that the mollusk does speak of the trinity and can cast light at the sun with its wandering eye. The kind sir again asks the boy to bring the mollusk to him so they can be forever free.
The song's lyrics are cryptic, and it is unclear who the kind sir is or what he plans to do with the mollusk. Still, it is apparent that the mollusk has some significance, and the kind sir believes that having it in his possession will grant him lasting freedom. Some interpretations suggest that the song is about the cycle of life and death, with the mollusk representing the circle of life and the trinity representing the Holy Trinity.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey little boy, whatcha got there?
Inquiring about what the child is holding.
Kind sir it's a mollusk i've found
The child responds that they have found a mollusk.
Did you find it in the sandy ground?
Asking if the mollusk was found in the sand.
Does it emulate the ocean's sound?
Asking if the mollusk makes a sound like the ocean.
Yes I found it on the ground
Confirming that the mollusk was found on the ground.
Emulating the ocean's sound
Confirming that the mollusk does make a sound like the ocean.
Bring forth the mollusk cast unto me
Asking the child to give them the mollusk.
Let's be forever let forever be free
Expressing a desire to be free with the mollusk and have it as a companion for life.
Hey little boy come walk with me
Inviting the child to walk with them.
And bring your new found mollusk along
Asking the child to bring the mollusk they found with them.
Does it speaketh of the trinity
Asking if the mollusk can speak about the concept of the trinity.
Can it gaze at the sun with its wandering eye
Asking if the mollusk can look at the sun with its eye that moves around.
Yes it speaks of the trinity
Confirming that the mollusk can speak about the trinity.
Casting light at the sun with its wandering eye
Confirming that the mollusk can in fact look at the sun with its eye that moves around.
You see there are three things that spur the mollusk from the sand
Explaining that there are three things that will make the mollusk leave the sand.
The waking of all creatures that live on the land
One of the three things that will make the mollusk leave its place in the sand is the waking of all land creatures.
And with just one faint glance, back into the sea
Another thing that will make the mollusk leave its place is with just one glance back into the sea.
The mollusk lingers, with its wandering eye
Even though the mollusk can leave its place in the sand, it lingers and watches with its eye that moves around.
Lyrics © Royalty Network
Written by: MICHAEL MELCHIONDO, JR., AARON FREEMAN, ANDREW WEISS, MICHAEL MELCHIONDO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind